WR1500
4-Port Wireless DSL/Cable Router
®
21
IP Address and Subnet Mask
Similar to the way houses on a street share a common street name,
so too do computers on a LAN share one common network number.
Where you obtain your network number depends on your particular
situation. If the ISP or your network administrator assigns you a block
of registered IP addresses, follow their instructions in selecting the IP
addresses and the subnet mask.
If the ISP did not explicitly give you an IP network number, then most
likely you have a single user account and the ISP will assign you
a dynamic IP address when the connection is established. If this is
the case, it is recommended that you select a network number from
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.0 and you must enable the Network
Address Translation (NAT) feature of the WR1500 Wireless Router.
The Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) reserved this block
of addresses specifi cally for private use; please do not use any
other number unless you are told otherwise. Let’s say you select
192.168.1.0 as the network number; which covers 254 individual
addresses, from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 (zero and 255 are
reserved). In other words, the fi rst three numbers specify the network
number while the last number identifi es an individual computer on
that network.
Once you have decided on the network number, pick an IP address
that is easy to remember, for instance, 192.168.1.1, for your WR1500
Wireless Router, but make sure that no other device on your network
is using that IP address.
The subnet mask specifi es the network number portion of an IP
address. Your WR1500 Wireless Router will compute the subnet
mask automatically based on the IP address that you entered. You
don’t need to change the subnet mask computed by the WR1500
Wireless Router unless you are instructed to do otherwise.